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Erin McDowell and Mykenna Maniece
Updated
- Global temperatures continue to increase, with 2023 recording the warmest numbers on record.
- In 2021, Oregon, Utah, and Washington broke heat records.
- The hottest temperature recorded in US history was 134 degrees Fahrenheit in California in 1913.
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2023 was the hottest year on record, and 2024 is shaping up to be a scorcher too, with temperature records being shattered from Nevada to North Carolina. However, many of the highest recorded temperatures in each state happened decades ago.
According to the official climate government website, Earth's temperature has risen by an average of 0.11 degrees Fahrenheit per decade, and 2023 was the warmest year since global records began in 1850.
But global temperature rise doesn't mean it just gets hotter everywhere at the same rate. In fact, according to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), some states in the US reached their all-time toastiest temperatures hundreds of years ago.
Here's a list of every state and its hottest day on record, from the high 90s to above 130 degrees Fahrenheit, according to NOAA.
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ALABAMA: 112 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:September 6, 1925
Location:Centreville
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ALASKA: 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: June 27, 1915
Location: Fort Yukon
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ARIZONA: 128 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: June 29, 1994
Location:Lake Havasu City
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ARKANSAS: 120 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:August 10, 1936
Location:Ozark
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CALIFORNIA: 134 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 10, 1913
Location: Furnace Creek (formerly Greenland Ranch)
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COLORADO: 115 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 10, 2019
Location:John Martin Dam
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CONNECTICUT: 106 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 15, 1995
Location:Danbury
Torrington, Connecticut, also reached 106 degrees Fahrenheit on August 23, 1916.
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DELAWARE: 110 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 21, 1930
Location:Millsboro
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FLORIDA: 109 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: June 29, 1931
Location:Monticello
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GEORGIA: 112 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:August 20, 1983
Location:Greenville
Louisville, Georgia, also reached 112 degrees Fahrenheit on July 24, 1952.
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HAWAII: 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: April 27, 1931
Location: Pahala
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IDAHO: 118 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:July 28, 1934
Location: Orofino
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ILLINOIS: 117 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:July 14, 1954
Location: East St. Louis
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INDIANA: 116 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:July 14, 1936
Location: Collegeville
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IOWA: 118 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:July 20, 1934
Location: Keokuk
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KANSAS: 121 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:July 24, 1936
Location: Alton
Fredonia, Kansas, also reached 121 degrees Fahrenheit on July 18, 1936.
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KENTUCKY: 114 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:July 28, 1930
Location: Greensburg
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LOUISIANA: 114 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:August 10, 1936
Location: Plain Dealing
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MAINE: 105 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 10, 1911
Location: North Bridgton
North Bridgton, Maine, also reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit on July 4, 1911.
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MARYLAND: 109 degrees Fahrenheit
Dates: July 10, 1936
Location: Cumberland
Frederick, Maryland, also reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit on July 10, 1936. Cumberland, Maryland, reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit on August 7, 1918, and August 6, 1918. Keedysville, Maryland, reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit on August 6, 1918. Boettcherville, Maryland, reached 109 degrees Fahrenheit on July 3, 1898.
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MASSACHUSETTS: 107 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: August 2, 1975
Location: New Bedford
Chester, Massachusetts, also reached 107 degrees Fahrenheit on August 2, 1975.
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MICHIGAN: 112 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 13, 1936
Location: Mio
Stanwood, Michigan, also reached 112 degrees Fahrenheit on July 13, 1936.
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MINNESOTA: 115 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 29, 1917
Location: Beardsley
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MISSISSIPPI: 115 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 29, 1930
Location: Holly Springs
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MISSOURI: 118 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 14, 1954
Location: Union
Warsaw, Missouri, also hit 118 degrees Fahrenheit on July 14, 1954.
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MONTANA: 117 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 5, 1937
Location: Medicine Lake
Glendive, Montana, also reached 117 degrees Fahrenheit on July 20, 1893.
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NEBRASKA: 118 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 24, 1936
Location: Minden
Hartington, Nebraska, also reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit on July 17, 1936. Geneva, Nebraska, reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit on July 15, 1934.
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NEVADA: 125 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: June 29, 1994
Location: Laughlin
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NEW HAMPSHIRE: 106 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 4, 1911
Location: Nashua
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NEW JERSEY: 110 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 10, 1936
Location: Runyon (near Sayreville)
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NEW MEXICO: 122 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: June 27, 1994
Location: Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (near Loving)
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NEW YORK: 108 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 22, 1926
Location: Troy
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NORTH CAROLINA: 110 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: August 21, 1983
Location: Fayetteville
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NORTH DAKOTA: 121 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 6, 1936
Location: Steele
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OHIO: 113 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 21, 1934
Location: Gallipolis
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OKLAHOMA: 120 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: August 12, 1936
Location: Altus
Altus, Oklahoma, first hit the record on July 19, 1936. Poteau, Oklahoma, also reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit on August 10, 1936. Alva, Oklahoma, reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit on July 18, 1936.
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OREGON: 119 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: June 29, 2021
Location: Pelton Dam
Moody Farms Agrimet, Oregon, also reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit on June 29, 2021. Pendleton, Oregon, reached 120 degrees Fahrenheit on August 10, 1898.
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PENNSYLVANIA: 111 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 10, 1936
Location: Phoenixville
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, also hit 111 degrees Fahrenheit on July 9, 1936.
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RHODE ISLAND: 104 degrees Fahrenheit
Date:August 2, 1975
Location: Providence
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SOUTH CAROLINA: 113 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: June 29, 2012
Location: Columbia
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SOUTH DAKOTA: 120 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 15, 2006
Location: Fort Pierre
Gann Valley, South Dakota, also hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit on July 5, 1936.
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TENNESSEE: 113 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: August 9, 1930
Location: Perryville
Perryville, Tennessee, also hit 113 degrees Fahrenheit on July 29, 1930.
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TEXAS: 120 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: June 28, 1994
Location: Monahans
Seymour, Texas, also hit 120 degrees Fahrenheit on August 12, 1936.
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UTAH: 117 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 10, 2021
Location: St. George
St. George, Utah, also hit 117 degrees Fahrenheit on July 5, 1985.
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VERMONT: 107 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 7, 1912
Location: Vernon
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VIRGINIA: 110 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 15, 1954
Location: Balcony Falls
Columbia, Virginia, also hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit on July 7, 1900, and July 5, 1900.
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WASHINGTON: 118 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: June 29, 2021
Location: Hanford
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WEST VIRGINIA: 112 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 10, 1936
Location: Martinsburg
Moorefield, West Virginia, also hit 112 degrees Fahrenheit on August 4, 1930.
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WISCONSIN: 114 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 13, 1936
Location: Wisconsin Dells
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WYOMING: 115 degrees Fahrenheit
Date: July 15, 1988
Location: Diversion Dam
Basin, Wyoming, also hit 115 degrees Fahrenheit on August 8, 1983.
Sara Kiley Watson contributed to an earlier version of this article.
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